liability

18 Stories

Baltimore: Ship's Owners Were Negligent, Need to Pay Up

City files court papers to hold Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine fully liable in bridge collapse

(Newser) - The owner and manager of the massive container ship that took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month should be held fully liable for the deadly collapse, according to court papers filed Monday on behalf of Baltimore's mayor and City Council. The two companies filed a petition soon...

Penn State to Students: You Must Sign This Waiver

The university is forcing students to sign COVID-19 waivers

(Newser) - Penn State students are running into a little hurdle at the school's online portal: a COVID-19 liability waiver. And they have to click "I agree" to get in. "They're basically saying they cannot guarantee our safety," grad student Maggie Hernandez tells Spotlight PA . Penn State...

With 20K Dead, Care Homes Seek Protection

They see a deluge of potential lawsuits on the way

(Newser) - Faced with 20,000 coronavirus deaths and counting, the nation's nursing homes are pushing back against a potential flood of lawsuits with a sweeping lobbying effort to get states to grant them emergency protection from claims of inadequate care, the AP reports. At least 15 states have enacted laws...

Worker's Comp Awarded After Death During Illicit Sex
He Had Sex on
a Business Trip
and Died. His
Employer Is Liable
in case you missed it
Sep 14, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

He Had Sex on a Business Trip and Died. His Employer Is Liable

Paris court rules cardiac arrest during adulterous interlude was a workplace accident

(Newser) - An employee for a French railway company went into cardiac arrest and died during an adulterous sexual encounter with a "perfect stranger" while on an out-of-town assignment for work, and a Paris court recently deemed it a workplace accident and is holding the employer liable. Quartz reports on the...

Man Hurt in Copperfield Trick on Hook for His Own Injuries

Illusionist was found to be negligent but not liable

(Newser) - Illusionist David Copperfield was found negligent but not financially responsible for a British tourist's injuries during a signature vanishing act that used participants from the audience of a Las Vegas Strip show in 2013, a jury said Tuesday. Gavin Cox and his wife, Minh-Hahn Cox, alleged negligence by the...

Driver Sues Bar After Drinking for 8 Hours, Crashing Car

Texas laws allow for drinking establishments to be held liable

(Newser) - A Texas man who went on an eight-hour drinking binge and then drove his car into a concrete wall is suing the watering hole in a Dallas suburb that served him because, as his lawyer puts it, "You don't let a customer do that." Gordon Savage is...

You May Be Liable for Kids' Facebook Posts

Court finds Georgia couple can be held liable for defamation of son's classmate

(Newser) - Parents who don't already pay close attention to their kids' Facebook posts may want to start. Georgia's Court of Appeals says parents may be liable for their children's online activity after a couple didn't force their son to delete a defamatory Facebook profile, the Wall Street ...

School District Getting Rid of 'Dangerous' Swings

'It's a matter of liability,' Washington district says

(Newser) - Swingsets are becoming a thing of the past at school playgrounds in a Washington state school district because insurance companies have decided they're too hazardous. "It's just really a safety issue; swings have been determined to be the most unsafe of all the equipment on a playground,...

States Offer Banks Immunity From Mortgage Lawsuits

In exchange for up to $25B payoff

(Newser) - State prosecutors are offering big banks an expensive Get Out of Lawsuits Free card. Prosecutors have offered a variety of banks caught up in the “robosigning” scandal immunity from some litigation in exchange for a total of $10 billion to $25 billion in penalties, the Financial Times reports. Some...

David Vitter Wants to Be BP's Best Friend

 David Vitter 
 Wants to Be BP's 
 Best Friend 
LIABILITY CAPS
Jun 2, 2010 8:25 AM CDT

David Vitter Wants to Be BP's Best Friend

And the Louisiana senator still loves offshore drilling, too

(Newser) - Here's an unusual way for a GOP senator facing re-election to court a conservative base he alienated by cavorting with DC prostitutes: Push to limit the liability of a company that just delivered what may be his state's worst-ever man-made disaster. That's what Louisiana's David Vitter is doing: Last week...

Spill May Screw the Gulf, but It Won't Kill BP

Oil giant's profits are prodigious enough to pay for cleanup

(Newser) - If you've been up late worrying about BP , rest easy. Whatever the ultimate toll to the Gulf states, and indeed the nation, the still-gushing oil spill isn't likely to kill BP. The British firm may be shelling out $17.5 million per day in clean-up costs, but it averaged $93...

AIG Dodges Insurance Claims from Hudson Flight

Insurer accused of using goodwill towards flight crew to dodge paying up

(Newser) - Passengers from US Airways Flight 1549 are having a tough time getting its insurer, AIG, to cough up for claims, the New York Times reports. Aviation liability insurance requires a finding of negligence. But Capt. Chesley Sullenberger and his crew were universally acknowledged to have performed amazingly well in saving...

Justices Reject Limits on Drug Lawsuits
 Justices Reject Limits 
 on Drug Lawsuits 
supreme court
Mar 4, 2009 1:59 PM CST

Justices Reject Limits on Drug Lawsuits

Ruling makes pharma responsible for labels

(Newser) - In a strong blow to drugmakers, the Supreme Court ruled today in favor of a Vermont woman who lost her arm after taking an anti-nausea drug made by Wyeth, the Wall Street Journal reports. The court upheld the ruling of a Vermont court that awarded guitarist Diana Levine $6.7...

Accountants May Be Liable in Madoff Fraud

Experts say feeder funds obviously skimped on scrutiny

(Newser) - The many accounting firms that missed Bernie Madoff’s massive scam could be in for a world of legal hurt, experts tell the Wall Street Journal. Madoff’s company was audited by a firm that had just one accountant, and one ex-SEC accountant finds it hard to believe that feeder-fund...

Reeves Wins Paparazzo Lawsuit

Actor not liable for photographer's injuries

(Newser) - A jury has found Keanu Reeves not liable for a paparazzo’s injuries sustained when the actor allegedly hit him with his car, People reports. Photographer Alison Silva said he injured his wrist after Reeves struck him while leaving a parking space, and the mishap left him unable to work....

Roomie Site Can't Match by Gender, Sex Preference

Court sees violation of fair housing laws

(Newser) - Roommates.com is violating fair-housing laws by asking users their gender, sexual preference, and whether they have children, and using that information to match them,  a US Court of Appeals ruled yesterday. Judges said such questions would be illegal if a real estate agent asked them over the phone...

Don't Get More Than Seasick
Don't Get More Than Seasick
Jan 20, 2008 11:33 AM CST

Don't Get More Than Seasick

Cruise ships provide docs, but aren't responsible for them

(Newser) - If you're one of the 10 million or so Americans who take a cruise this year, make sure you understand that “all-inclusive” doesn’t apply to medical care, says ABC News. Cruise ships have doctors on board, but the operator won’t take responsibility for them. Cruise lines, says...

Volunteers Must Sign Santa Clause
Volunteers Must Sign Santa Clause
Nov 23, 2007 1:17 PM CST

Volunteers Must Sign Santa Clause

Even at the North Pole, liability's an issue, US Postal Service says

(Newser) - Volunteers who answer letters to Santa Claus through the US Postal Service will have to sign a waiver, reports USA Today. The Postal Service has operated a Christmas letter-answering campaign for almost a century, with donated gifts and aid often going to needy children. “We were giving out information...

18 Stories